The key facts

  • Analysis of UK Biobank data: 221 people diagnosed with PSP and 2,249 people in the control group
  • The most significant association was identified for four categories of polluting industries
  • The causes of PSP have not been definitively established, and there is no effective treatment

What the researchers found

Researchers from Harvard Medical School and other scientific institutions in the United States and the United Kingdom studied a possible link between living near industrial facilities and progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), also known as Steele–Richardson–Olszewski syndrome. The results were published in the journal Neurology, reports Kun.uz.

How the study was conducted

PSP is a rare disease belonging to the group of atypical parkinsonism: it involves progressive damage to nerve cells and impairs movement, balance, and other functions of the nervous system. Some of its symptoms resemble Parkinson's disease, but they usually develop faster and respond differently to treatment. PSP cannot yet be fully cured, and the exact causes of the disease are unknown — scientists consider toxic substances to be one possible risk factor.

How the study was conducted

The study used data from the UK Biobank — a large project whose participants undergo medical examinations and whose health is then monitored over a long period. The analysis included 221 people diagnosed with PSP: their average age was 63, and 41.2% were women. Their data were compared with a control group of 2,249 people of the same age and sex in whom the disease had not been detected.

What exactly was linked to the disease

To assess the possible impact of polluting substances, participants' residential addresses were matched with data from the European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register for 2007. The register includes industrial facilities that report emissions into the environment: wastewater treatment plants, chemical plants, thermal power stations, and intensive fish farms. People who had lived at the specified address for less than a year were not included in the analysis.

Findings

The most significant association was found among people living near facilities in four categories of polluting industries. The calculations took into account participants' age, sex, level of education, and other factors. At the same time, as noted in the publication, this concerns a possible link: the exact causes of PSP have not yet been established, and toxic exposures are being studied only as one of the likely risk factors.